Canals, diamonds and red lights – an Amsterdam getaway COMPLETED - Page 26 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Ooo, fjords! That's something that I've looked at one and off for many years now. My best friend and I constantly talk about doing a trip somewhere, but it hasn't happened yet. I'll be paying very careful attention to your fjords TR to see if maybe we may want to try that!!!
I'm sure you will, as in all the photos I've seen, the scenery is absolutely stunning.
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Having booked this as a getaway to keep us going until our next break at the April, this vacation delivered, although it did leave us much more tired than we could ever have imagined, in the main, down to the weather. It’s amazing the impact that freezing cold temperatures can have on your ability to do things, although I guess in that respect, it’s no different at all to dealing with exceptionally hot, and perhaps humid, temperatures. That’s why we don’t go to Orlando in the summer months.
It did have other impacts on us, in terms of what we could and couldn’t do. I’d like to have visited the zoo, but that was out, given how cold it was outside, and we wanted to spend as much time as we could in the warmth. The other impact it had was on the canal cruises, which was a shame, but actually it worked out so well, as we were able to see people out skating on the canals. Now that’s got to be a once in a lifetime experience, as it’s only happened twice in the last 12 years and the chances of being there on those rare occasions is pretty low. That’s something that will stay with me forever. It’s probably just as well that we didn’t end up booking a canal cruise in the evening, having agonised over whether to do a pizza cruise or a full dinner cruise. In the end, it was all irrelevant!
The cold perhaps helped us to achieve a lot, as we had a driving factor to get inside. I had a list of museums and attractions that I wanted to hit and we pretty much made it to all of them, with the exception of the Museum Willet- Holthuysen. At first, I was disappointed that the Museum Our Lord in the Attic was under renovation when we visited, but actually it turned out to be a unique experience and I can’t wait to see it again when it’s all complete.
I felt like, this time, we did justice to Amsterdam, having just spent the day there previously. We had seen a lot, given we didn’t have much time, but this time around, we were able to appreciate the city more. Rather than just walking through the Red Light District and enjoying passive smoking (we did visit the Anne Frank House as well during that trip and take a canal cruise), we got to see a lot more of the history of the place and took the opportunity to learn. Amsterdam is certainly home to a lot of museums and can easily keep someone occupied for at least four days.
I hope we do end up going back again, as I loved the time we spent in the city. However, next time, I think we’ll try and make it during a warmer time of the year, as it would be nice to walk around and not be freezing as we did! The irony of this trip was that I deliberately chose February, as I figured it might be cold and snowy in January – perhaps I should’ve stuck with that...
And I cannot WAIT for your fjord TR!! Are you by chance using Hurtigruten?
I've been on a Hurtigruten ship for part of their regular Norwegian fjords itinerary. I have to admit, the ship felt more like a ferry than an actual cruise ship If I were to take an actual Norwegian fjords cruise, I'd definitely opt for a "real" cruise line. The Hurtigruten ships serve as packet ships (mailboats) so there a quite a few stops at small coastal villages where passengers can't get off. Also, we departed from Honningsvag (near the North Cape) around 5 am, and the ship's horn did go off so I was wondering if the actual cruise passengers get woken up this early every day... Just a few things to keep in mind.
I've been on a Hurtigruten ship for part of their regular Norwegian fjords itinerary. I have to admit, the ship felt more like a ferry than an actual cruise ship If I were to take an actual Norwegian fjords cruise, I'd definitely opt for a "real" cruise line. The Hurtigruten ships serve as packet ships (mailboats) so there a quite a few stops at small coastal villages where passengers can't get off. Also, we departed from Honningsvag (near the North Cape) around 5 am, and the ship's horn did go off so I was wondering if the actual cruise passengers get woken up this early every day... Just a few things to keep in mind.
Great wrap up. I agree that you were definitely there during a rare time of frozen canals - not something many people get to say! Maybe next time you can visit when the tulips are all in bloom! That would make for some beautiful photos!
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I agree that touring in the extreme cold takes it out of you, just like the extreme heat. Your body is always sort of clenched against the wind all the time you're outside and that's exhausting! You sure did see a lot escaping from the cold into museums, though. Amsterdam is the perfect city for that!
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Great wrap up. I agree that you were definitely there during a rare time of frozen canals - not something many people get to say! Maybe next time you can visit when the tulips are all in bloom! That would make for some beautiful photos!
That would - and on that subject, I love your new signature pic, so bright and beautiful!
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Great final thoughts!! Hopefully you'll get the chance to visit when it's a bit warmer and get to enjoy more of the city!! Thanks for sharing your getaway with us!!
Thanks for sharing your getaway with us Cheryl! It looks like a really beautiful place to visit, although I think I'd wait for the warmer season, but it had so many beautiful buildings to enjoy! Looking forward to hearing about your next non-Disney cruise!
Thank you so much for writing up this TR, it was neat for me to see all the history of Amsterdam and the museums. Not to mention those beautiful frozen canals. So sorry the weather was just way frigid. My FIL told me if I wanted to go there I would have to go between April and June to see all the tulips in their glory. So that's my plan.......someday
Thank you so much for writing up this TR, it was neat for me to see all the history of Amsterdam and the museums. Not to mention those beautiful frozen canals. So sorry the weather was just way frigid. My FIL told me if I wanted to go there I would have to go between April and June to see all the tulips in their glory. So that's my plan.......someday
I've heard the tulips are supposed to be amazing. I think June would be pushing it though. Ours have just started to appear and usually they tend to March-April here and I don't think Holland are far off that, especially as we buy a lot of their stock....
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If I were to take an actual Norwegian fjords cruise, I'd definitely opt for a "real" cruise line. The Hurtigruten ships serve as packet ships (mailboats) so there a quite a few stops at small coastal villages where passengers can't get off. Also, we departed from Honningsvag (near the North Cape) around 5 am, and the ship's horn did go off so I was wondering if the actual cruise passengers get woken up this early every day... Just a few things to keep in mind. 
That would make for some beautiful photos!
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